The Scars of Betrayal Part I
by Callista MacLeod
Summary: One shot. Ch. 12 PotP SPOILER. Five years later, KayKay is one of the top Aurors in the league, and she finally gets her chance to keep her word and settle a score with a certain man on The Dark Side. The scars that hatred leaves are more than skin deep.


_¤ _On my thread, we tend to call these "Castles" . . . they're like a fanfiction of a fanfiction. I wanted to explore the idea of whatcould've happened in Chapter Twelve of Powers of the Prophecy (if you haven't read the chapter yet, wait to read this until you do—this contains spoilers.) So, here it is. One-shot. Just like my other one-shot, it goes with Heir of Voldemort and Powers of the Prophecy, BUT IS NOT PART OF THE SERIES! Like I said . . . a fic of a fic. _¤_

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything except the plot. Harry Potter™ is the sole intellectual property of JK Rowling, Warner Bros. and various others who all aren't connected to me in any way. No money is being made with this fanfiction and no copyright infringement is intended.**

* * *

**THE SCARS OF BETRAYAL**

The drone of the alarm clock cut annoyingly through KayKay's dreams. She dragged herself through a heavy haze of sleepiness, groaning all the while.

She'd dreamt that she was riding a broomstick—nothing special, just flying and playing Quidditch with some of her old Hogwarts friends. They had a tendency to slip into her dreams before she could put her guard up.

But time continued, and bad things still happened to good people. At the end of the day, reminiscing about her friends wouldn't put anyone into Azkaban.

_Hasn't that alarm clock shut up YET?_ KayKay thought to herself, squeezing her eyes shut ever tighter, still not even _remotely_ awake. Maybe if she ignored it, it would go away . . . right?

The alarm clock was insistent though, so insistent that KayKay finally gave in and threw her arm out blindly, rolling over to shut it off.

This was how she found her twenty-two year old dignity compromised by falling unceremoniously from her top bunk to the floor. There she remained for a few moments, stunned and tangled in blankets, before her alarm clock followed posthumously after her, landing squarely on her head.

"OW!" KayKay cried, rubbing her head as she glared at the clock in her lap. It was still ringing, though halfheartedly. Growling, she picked it up and threw it across the room. It connected with the door just as her bunkmate entered.

"Typical morning, huh?" she said with a smirk, looking at the well-worn dent on the door and then the dilapidated clock.

"Morning people ought to be drug out into the street and shot," KayKay muttered, trying to untangle herself from her blankets. Skylar just laughed, set the clock on KayKay's bedside table (it now sounded like a telephone being flushed down a toilet), and gently touched a button on top. The noise immediately ceased.

"You do know that at this rate you'll be late for your next assignment, don't you?" Skylar said calmly.

"I _would_ be, but I don't _have_ an assignment," KayKay replied grumpily, finally unlocking the mystery of messy bed sheets and tossing them onto her bunk in a lump. "Right now, all I'm late for is a cup of black coffee."

"No assignment, huh? What a shame . . ." Skylar said in a voice that was too sweet to be sincere.

"Hey Little Miss Morning-Girl, how'd _you_ like to do paperwork?" KayKay snapped, throwing her pajamas at Skylar. She pulled her commonplace Auror uniform out of her trunk and dressed quickly. "I swear, I must be going in _circles._"

"Oh? No luck in the research department either?" she asked innocently. KayKay fixed her with a withering glare and crossed to the tiny cabin bathroom.

"They haven't given me a _chance_ to do _anything_ for three and a half months!" KayKay lamented, splashing cold water onto her face before grabbing a hairbrush and attacking her short hair.

"Maybe they just . . . want to save you for something special?" Skylar suggested.

" "Save me for something special'?" KayKay asked without removing her gaze from the small cloudy mirror. She grabbed a hair tie and pulled her hair back into a ponytail. "It's not like I'm the good china that's only used on holidays!"

"I _mean_ what if they're keeping you someplace safe—"

"Boring," KayKay corrected as she searched for her toothbrush.

"_Safe_," Skylar continued, "So that if a particularly . . . _tricky_ assignment should come up, you'll be alive to take it on?"

KayKay froze with the toothbrush halfway into her mouth, then quick as a flash, whipped away from the mirror and stared intently out the bathroom door at Skylar.

"What do you know that I don't?" KayKay asked quickly and stonily.

"Who ever said I knew anything?" Skylar said in a would-be casual tone, studying her fingernails calmly.

KayKay was out of the bathroom in three strides and gripping the front of Skylar's uniform with the same fisted hand that clenched her toothbrush.

"Tell me," she ordered.

"Well . . . since you asked so nicely . . . and after all, I _do_ like surprises—"

"Fine, you'll find a Honeyduke's chocolate bar on your pillow tonight," KayKay said, rolling her eyes. "Now _tell me!_"

"The Department Of Mysteries has been assisting on one of our tough cases . . ." Skylar said calmly (KayKay knew that it was just to antagonize her).

" . . . And . . .?" KayKay prompted.

"They've got a lead on Potter. They think they've pinpointed a location." Skylar's face _finally_ grew to the grin she'd probably been concealing since entering the cabin.

KayKay let go of Skylar's uniform and her toothbrush clattered to the floor.

"Really?" she breathed, an awestruck smile slowly crossing her face.

"Would I lie to you? I mean, about something this big?" Skylar corrected herself. "Moody wants to see you in his office immediately."

KayKay was out of the cabin and halfway up the path before the door even swung shut. This was the day she'd been waiting for—_praying for_—for nearly five years.

¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤

"Any Death Eaters are to be taken alive, if possible—but if they give you one word of trouble, kill them where they stand and I won't complain," Alastor Moody said, pacing back and forth behind his stately desk.

"And Potter?" KayKay asked, sitting straight-backed on the edge of her chair. She paid no attention to the pulsating dark detectors that hummed with magic from each corner in the office. As it was, she barely gave the map marking Death Eater attacks a second-glance.

No, her attention was fixed solely on the grizzly wizard in front of her, her eyes following his path around the room.

"Of course, my first choice would be for you to locate him and bring him to a secure location—preferably here, in case any Death Eaters follow after you," he replied. "However, I'll be the first to admit that even the cleanest plans aren't always executed with true clarity. Do what you see best. I trust your judgement."

Only rigorous training kept KayKay from being distracted by this last comment. Moody didn't often shower his Aurors with praise, and the infrequent moments when he did were not to be taken lightly.

She nodded her head in acknowledgement.

"And—if the worst happens—"

"Just get yourself out of there," Moody finished for her. "You're too good of an Auror to sacrifice for a mere chance. We can't afford to lose you."

"The worst" was a situation that an Auror probably couldn't make it out of alive. It usually resulted in an "I've-got-nothing-to-lose" last-ditch effort to bring the target in.

There'd been more and more of them recently, and only a few had ended well for the good guys.

Moody lowered himself into his chair with a sigh and propped his elbows on his desk, leaning in towards KayKay.

"We're trusting you. You're the best for this job. It requires a certain amount of . . . 'insider's knowledge,' shall we say, and stealth. As such, this will be a solo effort, but we'll be in constant mental contact just in case. No one from our end will contact you unless you direct a thought towards us, but we'll be waiting."

KayKay nodded sharply, ignoring her foot's impatient urge to tap.

"You are to depart at 18:00 hours. Be sure to check in with me before departing for any updates, new information, et cetera, et cetera . . ."

"Wards to penetrate, spies to avoid, and all that jazz?" KayKay added, raising an eyebrow.

"Basically, yes. You know the drill."

"Yeah. At least, I'd hope so, with how long I've been here by now," KayKay replied.

Moody nodded. "And one more thing . . ."

" 'Constant vigilance,' right?" KayKay smirked.

Moody didn't grin back—instead, he looked her straight in the eye with _both_ of his—an uncommon gesture that immediately drew the attention of anyone who noticed it.

"Take care of yourself. We can't lose one of our best. In fact, I would've given this assignment to someone else were it not for how much this mission means to you," he said, his normally raspy tones gentle.

KayKay swallowed, then said, "Thank you, Sir."

Moody nodded, then cleared his throat and stood, straightening a pile of papers.

"I want you to get eye and hair tint before you go—it won't do us any good if you're recognized by every catch-penny Death Eater you have to get past," he said. "Let's make it blue eyes and darker hair, shall we?"

"Yes, Sir," KayKay said, recognizing a dismissal when she heard one. She stood and took the folder of information off of Moody's desk. She casually tucked a lock of hair that had fallen across her eyes behind her ear and was about to leave when Moody barked out one final order:

"And for Merlin's sake, girl, do something about that ruddy scar!"

¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤

"KayKay! You're in a good mood today. I take that this isn't merely a friendly visit?"

"Not today, Hannah. I've got a new assignment," KayKay replied with a smile. The witch's eyes twinkled.

"Is that so? Well, that's not the _only_ new thing around here," she said suggestively, grinning. KayKay wondered if Hannah meant what she _thought_ she meant.

"Of course, you _know_ that I'm normally _thrilled_ to equip you for missions," Hannah said dramatically as KayKay's anticipation mounted, "but one of our old employees has finally returned, and I think that he needs a refresher on how the job works."

"I see . . . and just who would this employee be?" KayKay asked, raising an eyebrow as a grin traced the corner of her mouth.

"Well," Hannah said, eyes twinkling, "he's in the back room, brewing a potion. Why don't you go see for yourself? Really, I _can't_ be running errands all day for you silly Aurors . . ."

She jerked her head towards the hall to the right of her desk, and KayKay quickly followed it to a door that was just slightly ajar.

"Let's see . . . some powdered root of asphodel . . . low flames," a man said, making the proper adjustments to the cauldron with his wand. His back was to the door.

KayKay crossed her arms and leaned casually against the doorframe. "You know, you really shouldn't keep your back to an open door, no matter where you are. 'Constant vigilance,' need I remind you?"

The man straightened with a jerk and whipped around, holding out his wand in the proper defensive stance. When he saw who she was, he lowered it and smiled.

"So, would an AWOL employee like yourself be able to tell an Auror where to get some supplies for a new assignment?" KayKay asked innocently.

He slipped his wand back into it's holster (everyone who worked at an Auror camp needed one) and held out his arms.

"Get over here," he ordered sternly, a smile still gracing his face. KayKay was eager to comply, wrapping her arms around his neck as he swept her into a tight hug, lifting her off her feet.

"_Merlin_, KayKay, they have to stop sending me on these special supply missions. I missed you so much."

"I missed you too, Brian," she said. "I was wondering if you'd _ever_ be back."

He smiled and released her. "Now, you _know_ I would've made it back _eventually_."

"But 'eventually' is too long," she pouted.

"You're telling _me?_" he asked, turning back to his potion. "So, do you really need supplies for a new assignment?"

"Yes. Standard supplies for a solo mission, as well as blue eye tint and dark hair color. I'm leaving tonight—oh, and I'll need some muggle concealer for my scar."

Brian looked up from the cauldron and his eyes darkened. "I'm not liking the sound of this."

"All right, you can add some concealer charms as well if you _insist_, but there are plenty of spells that will void them easily," KayKay said obliviously.

"KayKay, you _know_ what I mean," he said, forsaking his potion once more to speak to her. "Exactly what kind of mission _is_ this?"

"A special assignment," she said, almost defiantly as she straightened to her full height. "They think they've found Potter."

Brian's face passed through surprise, disbelief, and glee before settling into a worried frown.

"And they're sending you alone? That's so . . . _dangerous_."

"Nothing in the world we live in today is without danger, Brian," she said defensively. "If I nail this assignment, Voldemort will lose one of the most powerful tools he holds right now."

"I know, I know," Brian sighed, placing a hand on her cheek. "And I know you've been dreaming of this for years. It's just . . . I don't think I'd be able to handle it if something happened to you."

KayKay opened her mouth but Brian interrupted. "You're one of the best, I'm aware of that, but it won't stop me from worrying about you—don't forget that he's one of the best as well."

KayKay nodded and placed her hand over his.

"And the best way _you_ can help me is by making sure that Death Eaters won't identify me from a hundred yards away," she told him.

"Blue eyes, dark hair—"

"And concealer for my scar," she finished softly. Brian nodded his head in resignation.

"Tonight, huh?" he asked quietly after a long silence.

"Tonight," she confirmed. Brian sighed.

"We won't have any time together before you go—"

"I believe I can fix that," a voice said from the doorway. Hannah was leaning in.

"Good progress, Kingstaff. Since we're not in immediate need of supplies, feel free to take an early coffee break. Er . . . you can have it back here. Wouldn't want Moody barking at me for being soft, now would we?" She left, shutting the door behind her with a devilish twinkle in her eye.

KayKay laughed softly and put her forehead against Brian's chest.

"That little imp," she smiled. Brian tilted her head back up.

"Well, it would appear that I have fifteen minutes to kill. Would you keep me company?" he asked as he gently traced the lightning-bolt scar on her forehead with his thumb.

¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤

"Are you sure you're ready for this?" Skylar asked as she watched KayKay pull on her uniform.

"After waiting for so long? Don't be ridiculous. Besides, I'm an Auror. Aurors are ready for anything," KayKay said distractedly, feeling a bit breathless as she studied herself in the mirror. "Where did I put those eye drops?"

Skylar wordlessly handed KayKay a small bottle.

"Thanks," she said, twisting off the cap and tilting her head back. Her vision went blurry and blue for a moment after the eye drops went in before clearing. Good. It had worked.

"I'm just saying . . . finding Potter will be hard and getting back here with him will be even harder," Skylar said anxiously.

KayKay looked at her and rolled her eyes. "Thanks for the vote of confidence. It's really helping to boost my morale, I'm telling you." She paused. "Where's my . . ." Skylar held out a black comb. "Oh, thanks." KayKay turned back to the mirror and began yanking the comb through her hair, slowly turning the auburn-chestnut color to deep ebony.

"I'm sorry. I guess I'm just worried," Skylar said, looking out the window at nothing in particular. KayKay paused while reaching for one of the tubes of muggle concealer that she'd grabbed to use on her scar. She'd never heard Skylar sound so small, so troubled, so . . . _human._

"I mean . . . aren't _you?_" Skylar continued, looking back at KayKay.

"What, worried? Me? Nah," KayKay lied, ignoring the knots in her stomach. "Excited, _maybe._" She dabbed some makeup on the pinkish lightning bolt, making it blend into her skin.

KayKay saw Skylar nod in the mirror. "KayKay," she spoke up suddenly, "just—be careful, alright? You were a great bunkmate, and I'm going to miss your fights with the alarm clock."

KayKay whirled around, "Already counting on my early demise, huh?" she asked, unscrewing the lid on a jar of magical concealing cream (used only as an extra precaution).

"_No,_" Skylar said, "already counting on your inevitable promotion once you nail this mission. Do have any idea how _big_ this is going to be?"

KayKay actually smiled and rubbed her hands together. "_Very_ big," she replied, crossing to her bunk. "I can hardly wait."

"Well, let's hope not. It's time for you to meet Moody," Skylar said, looking at her watch. KayKay nodded, strapped her supply belt and wand holster around her wait, and left the cabin, heading immediately towards Moody's office.

The Auror camp was neat and orderly—and far more practical than the office cubicles they operated in during times of no immediate threat. Here they had ample training space, less chances of interference from an increasingly corrupt ministry, and plenty of Aurors. New inductees were trained here as well, so not only were they exposed to the "real picture" from day one, but it also doubled their forces in case there was an attack.

_Lovely bit of strategy indeed,_ KayKay thought to herself as Moody came into view. He was waiting outside the cabin that served as his office.

"Twenty scouts," he said without preamble as soon as KayKay reached him, "scattered throughout the forest. Five wards to get past. The first three will give you no trouble. The last two are the ones you'll need to look out for. They're well concealed and will only fall to proper blood and voice timbre."

"Do you have the blood I'll need?" KayKay asked, knowing full well what this entailed and not looking forward to it.

"Yes."

This was a new voice—Brian appeared behind Moody, carrying a vial and looking grim. "Are you ready?"

KayKay nodded, pushed up her sleeve, and held her arm out.

"Just do it quickly," she said. Brian nodded and unsheathed his wand. KayKay watched until he grabbed her arm—then her nerve broke and she looked away.

"_Cruentus Amiculum!_" he said, pulling his wand tip quickly across her upper arm. It cut through her skin and she immediately began to bleed. Gritting her teeth against the pain she knew would come next, she kept her face downcast.

Brian uncorked the small bottle he'd been carrying and poured the blood inside of it over the wound. KayKay inhaled sharply as it burned . . . but she told herself that she had to endure it. Just ten seconds . . . that wasn't long at all . . . she could handle it . . .

Brian then took _her_ wand and traced the cut he'd made, sealing the skin again with all of the shed blood now inside her body.

Brian handed back her wand and rubbed her arm gently where it had been cut.

"Thanks," KayKay said, taking a deep breath as she put her wand back in its rightful place.

"I'm sorry," he whispered quietly, readjusting her sleeve before stepping back. "That should do it," he said professionally. (Moody didn't approve of personal feelings when there was a job to be done.)

"You know how to call forth a stolen voice," Moody said, stepping in front of her. "Just be sure to use it until you're all the way in—the wards don't follow a straight path. You'll be crossing them multiple times, I'm sure."

"Got it," KayKay said. She tilted her head back and Moody touched her throat with his wand, making the "stolen voice" slide in alongside hers. This new one was silky and a bit lower than hers, but was still female.

"I trust you reviewed the file?" Moody said.

"Yes, and memorized every bit," KayKay confirmed. Wow, twenty-two years old and still doing homework.

"And the Pensieve?"

"Checked it every hour for updates," she said immediately.

"Good," Moody grunted. "Well Determan, remember what I told you. If it should come down to the worst, get out of there."

"Be careful," Brain added, looking about as tense on the outside as KayKay suddenly felt on the inside.

"Constant vigilance!" Moody barked predictably.

KayKay nodded to Moody, offered a small smile to Brian, then pulled her Invisibility Cloak tightly about her and disapparated with a crack.

Mere moments later, the silence of a dark and tangled forest was shattered by a loud crack that would alert Death Eaters for at least a mile in every direction of KayKay's presence.

Leaving them no time to swoop down upon her, she fell to all fours, stretching her fingers out desperately to find a small rock that had been left specifically for her by scouts that had come this way earlier. A portkey was the easiest way to get silently out of the clearing—and it would leave Death Eaters sniffing around the area for a bit, too.

Her hand finally closed around a smooth stone and she felt the familiar tug behind her navel that confirmed that this was what she'd been searching for.

But . . . something was wrong. KayKay could tell the moment that she touched the rock that part of the detailed plan had gone awry. As she was pulled through time and space, she tore through magical wards—wards that were _meant_ to keep her away from the secret place that she sought.

Because of—or maybe in spite of—her preparations, KayKay made it all the way to her final destination, pulling through the last few layers of wards like taffy through a spider web. The portkey fell to the floor and she landed solidly on both feet, her wand out almost before she thought to draw it. Only then did she study her surroundings.

She was in a dim and spacious room. A long table stretched the length of it, flanked by dozens of chairs on either side. It the head of the table, in front of a flickering fire was a tall, majestic chair. If it held an occupant, KayKay couldn't tell—it was facing away from her.

Still holding her wand readily, KayKay began to walk towards the table, but before she could even get near it, a voice mocked, " 'Constant vigilance!' "

Without even thinking, KayKay dropped to the floor and rolled over as a beam of light shot across the room right where her head had been. She hadn't even heard the attacker move . . .

"Stupefy!" she shouted, sending a curse right back at the source of the curse. Somebody in a Death Eater's mask tumbled out of the shadows and to the floor.

"Well done," the voice said again. It was coming from the chair. "So, who _is_ 'Mad-Eyes finest'? Obviously not somebody good enough to check his portkey before bounding off to face his own death."

"_She_ is in no mood for pleasantries at the moment—however, she will be glad to answer all of your questions back at Auror headquarters," KayKay said in her stolen voice. At the sound of a small creak behind her, she whirled around again and shouted, "Stupefy!" Another Death Eater who'd tried to sneak up on her fell to the floor.

"Ah, _she_," the voice said, taking on an entirely different tone. "My apologies." The chair swung around to face her, the speaker's features shrouded in shadows. "Please, have a seat."

"I thank you, no," KayKay snarled. "I'm not here for—_Stupefy_—for diplomacy," she stunned another Death Eater. "I'm here to do my job, and you'd do well to cooperate. My instructions are to bring you back alive, but I'd lose no sleep over killing you now."

"Temper, temper," the shadowed figure sighed. "Give someone an inch, and she'll swim all over you. _Women._"

"That statement never gets old for you, does it, Potter?" KayKay commented, crossing her arms. The figure stood up quickly, finally illuminated by the flames in the massive fireplace.

There it was, the face that had consumed her for five years. The general features were the same—messy black hair, green eyes—but those green eyes no longer hid behind glasses, and they'd darkened and become hard.

He'd also grown—he was a few inches taller, but most of his height was due to how he carried himself—no longer as a scrawny teenager but as a hardened man of his twenties.

But most different of all—he had no scar. It had completely disappeared the same night that KayKay's took form.

"Well, Mister Potter?" Voldemort asked, raising an eyebrow as he swished the blue bottle of antidote back and forth.

"Harry . . ." KayKay said pleadingly.

"This is a limited-time offer," Voldemort spoke up over KayKay, ever cool and calm. "After all, she only has a little time left," he added suggestively.

KayKay spoke up "Don't even think—"

"I'll do it," he blurted.

"Harry_" KayKay gasped in dumbstruck horror. She fell back against the wall as Voldemort released her wrist and crossed the room with a _very_ satisfied smile. He stood in front of Harry and held out his hand._

Harryvery 

_"Do we have an accord, then?" he asked with a chilling smile. Slowly, Harry put out his hand. Voldemort clasped it and light like gold fire traced Harry's scar—at that exact same moment, KayKay was forced to her knees by an excruciating pain—it felt like her head was splitting in two, right down the middle of her forehead. Somewhere beyond her region of comprehension, she heard herself screaming . . ._

After that, she'd woken up sprawled on the stone stairway to the main doors of Hogwarts castle—she was covered with a dusting of snow, and her eyelashes were stuck together by frost. At some point later on, she talked to Dumbledore about what had happened.

Harry lost his scar, and it now marked KayKay. The reasons for this phenomenon sprung from the same reason that he'd gotten his in the first place.

Harry's scar had been a mark of the love that had caused Voldemort's curse to rebound upon himself. However, by joining Voldemort, Harry had betrayed that love, and the scar fled him to settle upon the vessel of his betrayal—KayKay.

Harry was no longer protected by Lily Potter's love; there was no longer any of her light within him. Now her protection rested on KayKay. She didn't know if this meant that _she_ couldn't be killed by Harry . . .

. . . But it _did _mean that Voldemort no longer had her protection, either.

"Who are you?" he asked, studying her carefully.

"No one of consequence, _Harold_," KayKay smirked.

"I beg to differ," he said, walking out from behind the table and beginning a leisurely walk towards her.

"Do you mean to tell me that the 'Great' Harold James Potter has no inkling of who it is that's going to kill him, once and for all?" KayKay asked loftily. He stopped.

"KayKay," he said lowly. A classic crooked grin with a frighteningly sinister gleam brushed across his features.

"That's 'Determan' to you," she retorted, making her way around the other side of the table to keep them on opposite ends. Oh well, cover blown. She reversed her disguises with a flick of her wand.

"What's a name between friends?" he asked with a haughty shrug as he continued on his path. "My God, you've changed," he added appreciatively.

"You're no friend of mine," she growled, now in her own voice. "And I'm going to make you pay for what you did."

"For what, saving your life? You have an odd way of showing gratitude. You should be thanking me on bent knee!" he growled.

"No, for sacrificing the lives of thousands of others!" KayKay exclaimed, still circling at the same pace as Harry.

He dismissed her statement with a shrug. "Muggles," he scoffed, "Mudbloods."

The coiled spring inside of her wound itself just a bit tighter. "_Crucio_" KayKay screamed, shooting the curse at him with all of her rage behind it. It flew across the table.

"_Protego"_ he said, flicking his wand to shield himself. KayKay ducked, and the curse flew harmlessly over her head.

"A fine way to repay me for what I did for you, I must say," Harry said as KayKay straightened.

"What _you_ did for _me?_ Potter, that bit of magic _pales_ in comparison to what you did for me!"

"Why shout at each other like young children?" Harry said, ever calm and suave. "Please, have a seat. You must be famished after how far you've come tonight—I'll send for refreshments."

"If you think for one moment that I—"

"KayKay, KayKay, KayKay," Harry sighed dramatically, pulling out his wand. "_Please._ Sit down and we can discuss this like mature adults."

Suddenly KayKay felt a large, invisible hand pushing her into a chair and scooting her in closer to the table.

"Now," he said, clearing his throat as he took a seat straight across from her, "you were saying?"

KayKay stared at him for a moment before saying slowly through gritted teeth, "You—are—low."

"I beg your pardon?" He smiled an innocent smile that still managed to look perfectly evil. Something inside of KayKay snapped.

"You . . . you are low! You are vile! You are pathetic! You are repulsive! You are obscene! You are wretched! You are foul! You are—are—ignominious! You are—"

"Well, that's not very polite of you, I must say," Harry said disapprovingly.

"_You are a traitor!_" KayKay screeched.

"Really? And why is that, do you think?" he asked, waving his wand and making a tray with a wine bottle and two goblets appear on the table.

KayKay blinked a few times. He was as aloof as if they were simply discussing the weather!

"It's because . . . I mean . . . just _look_ at yourself!"

"Yes, I have come a long way, haven't I? Of course, you've changed quite a bit as well, I must say." He picked up the bottle and began pouring the wine.

"That's not what I meant," KayKay said darkly. "Do you have _any_ idea what this has done to people who used to know you?"

"They'll live."

"Not with _you_ going at this rate, they won't! You won't stop until you've destroyed this world three times over. And poor Sirius . . ."

"Blood traitor," Harry said indifferently. KayKay gaped at him as he unwaveringly filled the next goblet.

" '_Blood traitor'?_ Well, isn't _that_ a classic example of the pot calling the kettle black! If _anyone_ is a traitor to their kin, it's _you!_ Just _look_ at what you've become! You've turned your back on your family and friends to work for _Voldemort—_"

"_I_ do not _work_ for Voldemort."

"—you're worse than _Wormtail!_"

Harry's face turned dark and he set the bottle down with a soft thud that resounded eerily through the vast room.

"Do not compare me to Peter Pettigrew," he said quietly with deadly gravity behind each word.

"Why not?" KayKay snapped. "You both joined the Dark Side and betrayed your friends, dismissed the lives of thousands by joining with Voldemort—"

"I _saved_ this world from him!"

"And now you're condemning it! Destroying it without mercy . . . how ironic. So, tell me Potter, how many 'unworthy' people have you killed so far? One-hundred?"

"Be quiet."

"Five-hundred? Or have you simply let your lackeys take care of it for you? Oh, how ironic it all is—"

"Silence!"

"—The-Boy-Who-Lived grew up to be The-Man-That-Kills. Or would that be better phrased as 'The-Boy-Who-Lived-and-Let-Die'? I've never—"

"I said, _silence_" Harry exclaimed, slapping her across the face. KayKay immediately stopped talking, but she only touched her sore cheek briefly before raising her hand in retaliation. Harry caught her by the wrist before she could even hit him. She bit her lip immediately to hold back a scream, and Harry yanked his hand away as though he'd been burned.

KayKay immediately clapped her freed hand to her scar, trying to stop it from throbbing. For a moment, it had felt like it was going to open up and bleed afresh.

Glancing past her hand, KayKay observed Harry carefully. Right now he was studying his hand with detached interest as he raised his goblet to his lips . . . how could she get him back to headquarters? It wouldn't be easy.

"Try the wine," Harry said, holding out the second goblet to her as if nothing had happened.

"I thank you, no," she said stiffly.

"Then what can I do for you? My hospitality is at your disposal," he said, sitting back in his chair in a very controlled manner.

"You can come back to Auror Headquarters, though I doubt you'd be so gracious as to let me get through this mission without an ordeal," KayKay suggested. Harry gave a small laugh as he lowered his goblet from his lips.

"Ah, KayKay, you know perfectly well that deep down, you'd be disappointed if I came quietly. You always _did_ like to make a statement. You know, the wine really _is_ quite wonderful," he added suddenly. "A very robust bouquet, if I do say so myself. Are you _sure_ you don't want some?"

"Will it get you to shut up?" KayKay asked.

"I'll make no promises," he smiled. KayKay growled and took the proffered goblet.

"Well, now that turning myself in is out of the question, is there anything else I can do for you?" Harry asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You can die friendless and alone, save for me to deliver the final blow and your own cowardice" she spat back.

"Again you're spewing your venom at me. Any specific reason this time? Oh, and you still haven't touched the wine," Harry commented. KayKay took a sip for no better reason than to make him stop bothering her about it, and hated herself for noticing that the wine was indeed good.

"Would you like the short list or the long?" she asked.

"I have all the time in the world," he grinned. "Though I have a pretty good idea of what you'll say. 'Harry, you work for the Dark Side!' 'Harry, you've abandoned the rest of us!' 'Harry, you _saved my life_, how dare you!' "

"One good deed doesn't pardon thousands of innocent lives! And for your information, not a single one of your statements was correct."

"Oh?" He raised an eyebrow and leaned forward in his chair, propping his elbows on the table and leaning in closer. "Enlighten me."

"You betrayed me," she said.

"Really now? Because the last thing _I_ remember was doing everything I could to keep you alive," Harry replied sarcastically.

"Did you by _any_ chance notice something about you that _changed_ that night?" KayKay quipped.

"Many things," he replied, sitting back in his chair. "I became stronger. No one is able to control me like a little Gryffindor ninny, a 'pet' of the Wizarding world. I've gained power as well, along with a list that could go on for days if it weren't for the fact that I'm perfectly aware that such a long detainment of 'Mad-Eye's finest' would result in a rather embarrassing search-and-rescue team."

"Well, that's perfectly fine," KayKay said, "since I was referring to _this_," she drew an imaginary lightning bolt on Harry's forehead before yanking her hand back—she'd forgotten that it made her scar burn when they touched. Harry clapped a hand to his forehead where her finger had come into contact with his skin.

"Old habits die hard, don't they, Potter?" she smirked.

"Ah yes, and my scar disappeared. Is that it? Fine, fine, I suppose my appearance has changed as well . . ."

KayKay silently tucked her hair behind her ear, exposing her scar, and Harry stopped. It was the only time that evening that she had or would catch him off-guard.

"It's called a Scar of Betrayal. You discarded Lily Potter's sacrifice for you, and therein lost the protection that her blood always offered you. I was the vessel, so the scar and the protection fell to me." Harry was still silent, so KayKay continued.

"And now," she said through clenched teeth, "every time you kill someone, I feel it. Every time someone screams for mercy from you, I feel it. Every time you plot your next deed, I feel it."

"Really? Well then, next time I break out into maniacal laughter, I'll try to keep it quiet so I don't disturb you," Harry sneered.

"It's your fault! You're the reason that they all died!" KayKay exclaimed angrily.

"Everyone dies," Harry said carelessly.

"They were your _friends!_" she shrieked.

"There's no such thing as friends!" Harry shouted back. "There's no such thing as friends," he repeated more quietly. "Not anymore. A point which you are proving quite efficiently."

"That's irrelevant to the point, since you killed them _then_ and I'm here _now._"

"Sure, _anything_ sounds bad when you say it with _that_ sort of an attitude," Harry replied, calm once again. "And let's not go pointing fingers, okay? We agreed to discuss this like adults."

"No, _you_ agreed to discuss this like adults. If it were up to me, the discussing would've ended a long time ago."

"Then it would appear that we are at an impasse," Harry said, taking another sip of wine. "You refuse to leave me here alive, and I refuse to be taken in to Auror Headquarters."

"That's not an impasse," KayKay muttered darkly, pulling out her wand . . .

* * *

_**No song for one-shots. Please review anyway! Hopefully this will be slight compensation for how long it took to update Chapter Twelve of Powers of the Prophecy.**_

**_§ ¤ § PROPOSAL § ¤ §_**

Okay, I had this ideaa whileago, but no one has responded yet. People who frequent my "homepage" at the Harry Potter Dialogue Center also take part in writing "castles" (one-shot, fic of a fic, like "Someday, You'll Remember That" and this one-shot) . . . it's not always me.

So my proposal is thus: I'm thinking of making a "storybook" that'll have Castles written by ANY of you who wish to do so . . . you'd have to e-mail it to me, and I'd add them together—so rather than "chapters", it'll be like a collection of short stories.

**RULES**: (I want to tell you beforehand so I don't have to spring them on you later).

_**¤ **It must be a good length; at least Size 12, single-spaced, and 5 pages in MS Word or Apple Works (etc.)._

_**¤ **I reserve the right to beta and edit grammar, spelling, punctuation, and paragraph layout._

_**¤ **I will NOT change your story, but I MIGHT e-mail you back if something is unclear, etc._

_**¤** It must be well-thought out and planned_—_not something you threw together in a few minutes._

Let me know if you're interested! My e-mail address should be by my profile . . . if not, ask me about it in a review or follow my "homepage" link and leave me a message there.


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